"That's not necessarily true. A pill furnace about to explode makes that exact sound."
The man who had just been snapped at by Sun Hu curled his lip and muttered under his breath, earning himself a furious glare from Sun Hu.
Seeing Sun Hu make a move to grab him, the man immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, "Senior Brother, come over here! Someone's about to resort to violence!"
A sword cultivator responsible for maintaining order walked over with a cold expression.
Sun Hu glared angrily at the man.
Throwing back his shoulders with a smug sneer, the man taunted, "I'm not wrong, am I? A furnace about to blow up sounds just like that. If you care so much about that old crone, you should make her stay away from the furnace right now, unless you want her blown to pieces when it explodes."
With protection nearby, the man was no longer afraid of Sun Hu.
Sturdy as Sun Hu was, he was nothing compared to a powerful sword cultivator.
"Xiaohuzi, come here."
Lin Wei had heard every bit of the commotion from where she sat.
As for that man, he wasn't even worth her attention.
Sun Hu had only acted out of concern for her, so Lin Wei naturally wouldn't let him start a fight. At her single word, Sun Hu instantly transformed into an obedient, stroked puppy and trotted right over to her side.
Looking up at him, Lin Wei felt a warmth she couldn't quite put into words.
This foolish boy—did he genuinely not care if he died when the furnace exploded?
Sun Hu's utter devotion reminded her of the loyal subordinates who had built her company up from nothing alongside her, the ones who had resolutely stood by her no matter how tempting the offers were from outside.
Lin Wei had never failed anyone who offered her their absolute sincerity.
"Good boy, Xiaohuzi. If a dog bites you, you don't go arguing back with it, understand? You can't reason with a different species."
Smiling kindly, Lin Wei gently patted Sun Hu's arm.
Sun Hu nodded obediently. "Mm, Granny is right."
Lin Wei smiled as well.
The man, however, was so furious his face twisted out of shape. "You wretched old hag, who are you calling a dog?"
"Senior Brothers, you all heard her! This wretched old hag is insulting me..."
The man cried out in exasperation, hoping the sword cultivator seniors would step in and punish Lin Wei.
Yet those cultivators had merely been hired to keep the peace. Lin Wei was an elderly woman who hadn't struck the first blow—how could they possibly beat up a granny?
Quite a few onlookers began to laugh at the man, making his face flush red with humiliation.
Throwing caution to the wind, he screamed, "The pill furnace is about to blow!"
Yet not a single person budged.
Putting aside the fact that they were already standing safely out of harm's way to watch the show, Sun Hu and Lin Wei were right in front of the furnace; even if it did detonate, it wouldn't touch them.
Right now, all they wanted was to see what quality of pills would emerge once the lid came off.
If these actually turned out to be high-grade pills, it would be a genuine marvel.
It would be the very first miracle in the Shangyuan Sect.
As the rumbling inside the furnace subsided and the heat faded, Lin Wei said to Sun Hu, "Xiaohuzi, help Granny open the furnace."
She was genuinely exhausted. To successfully refine a superior batch of pills, she had depleted every last trace of her spiritual qi.
Nodding with intense excitement, Sun Hu replied, "Alright."
A commotion like that from the furnace meant either high-grade pills or a total explosion. Since it hadn't blown up, the outcome was self-evident.
Everyone stretched their necks to look.
Some of the sword cultivators had already gone off to report to the steward, while the rest kept their eyes fixed squarely on the furnace.
Taking a deep breath, Sun Hu gathered his strength and forced the heavy lid open in one go.
A wave of exotic fragrance drifted out into the air.
"High-grade! High-grade pills—two of them!"
Sun Hu announced, his voice trembling with excitement.
Dozens of people surged forward in a tight circle.
"High-grade pills? They really are high-grade pills!"
"Good heavens! Look closely, everyone—one of them has pill markings!"
"My god, it actually has them!"
Gasping breaths echoed through the crowd.
Pills bearing markings—that was a trait exclusive to top-grade pills.
The entire crowd erupted into a frenzy.
The sword cultivators stepped in to push the spectators back, though their own eyes burned with unmistakable excitement.
"Granny, sit down and rest. Master Gu will be here soon."
Gu Qing, sixty-five years old, was a Heaven-rank alchemist.
Ordinarily, the testing of Human-rank alchemists wouldn't warrant his attention, but someone refining high-grade pills changed everything.
Lin Wei was indeed bone-tired and starving, so she sat down.
Noticing Lin Wei's pale, drawn face, Sun Hu pulled out a Spirit Nourishing Pill and handed it to her. "Granny, take this."
Swallowing the Spirit Nourishing Pill, Lin Wei felt a soothing wave wash over her and smiled faintly at Sun Hu. "Thank you, Xiaohuzi."
"Granny, I have a medium-grade Qi-Nourishing Pill here, you can have it too!"
"I have a Blood-Replenishing Pill..."
Several people rushed forward, pulling out their own pills in hopes of forging a favorable connection with Lin Wei.
Lin Wei merely shook her head and replied flatly, "Thank you, everyone, but I don't need them right now."
With that, she closed her eyes to center her mind and draw in spiritual qi.
Unable to give away their offerings, many in the crowd sighed with regret.
None of them could have imagined that the simple-minded Sun Hu had lucked into such a massive windfall. If he received personal guidance from now on, becoming at least an Earth-rank alchemist—if not a Heaven-rank one—would be completely effortless.
The ranks differed by only a single word, but the status was worlds apart.
"Who refined the high-grade pills?"
Gu Qing's voice boomed from a distance before he even came into view.
Hearing the voice, the surrounding crowd automatically parted to clear a path.
An old man with a white beard hurried over, his expression burning with intense excitement.
He had yet to take on a single disciple in all his years. The mere thought of a prodigiously talented apothecary sent his heart racing, and since it happened to be his turn to oversee the evaluations, he was over the moon that such good fortune had dropped right into his lap.
Ignoring the surrounding alchemists entirely, Gu Qing locked his eyes straight onto Sun Hu and Lin Wei.
His gaze lingered on Lin Wei for barely a second before snapping to Sun Hu. He strode up, grabbed Sun Hu by the hand, and blurted out, "Child, your talent is extraordinary! This old man refuses to let such gifts go to waste. Are you willing to take me as your master, learn the highest arts of alchemy, and become a supreme alchemist revered throughout the entire Cultivation World?"
Startled out of his wits, Sun Hu waved his hands frantically. "No, no, it wasn't me! It was my granny who refined the high-grade pills!"
Lin Wei had opened her eyes the moment Gu Qing arrived. Watching the old man's eager rush to take a disciple, she couldn't help but think that since she looked so aged herself, he was hardly any better—anyone seeing them walk down the street side by side would never be able to tell who was master and who was pupil.
Gu Qing's smile froze. He turned his gaze toward Lin Wei and frowned.
"She refined the high-grade pills?"
Was his eyesight failing him?
Where on earth had this old woman—who looked even older than he did—popped up from?
Lin Wei offered a kind, gentle smile. "It was me."
Gu Qing drew a sharp breath, then looked down at the pills. The composure he had worked so hard to maintain shattered instantly.
"Pill markings—there are actually pill markings!"
Trembling with excitement, Gu Qing picked up the pills to inspect them closely. The medicinal fragrance was rich, and the markings looked as though they had been meticulously painted on, flawless and striking. Bringing the pills closer to his face, he burst out in renewed disbelief, "Rich aroma, surrounded by spiritual qi, completely free of medicinal toxins... How—how can this be possible?"
Seeing how utterly stirred Gu Qing was, Lin Wei knew she had the situation in the bag.
The refining process had drained every drop of her spiritual qi and worn her to the bone, but looking at these results, it was well worth it.
"You—where in the world did you come from? At your age, did you suddenly encounter some miraculous fortuitous encounter to awaken this talent? Are you willing to take me... No, no, no, I am not qualified to teach you. I must report this to my master; only he is worthy of being your master."
Suppressing the wild surge in his chest, Gu Qing spoke with absolute solemnity.